Super Smoothies & a Little Change of Pace

I’m currently taking a course called Principles of Plain Language as part of my educational objectives for work. It’s a really useful course, not only work-wise, but also because once I become a nutritionist (knock on wood), a huge part of my job will be to write assessments for clients. They need to be straightforward, purposeful and easy to read without rambling and getting off topic.

Soooo, I think this blog is also a really good place to practice these principles. My first step, and one of the most important, is to have a more specific focus. A lot of my posts talk about all kinds of different things, a lot of which might only be interesting to me. This should be a place that readers come to looking for a specific topic, not a little of a million different things. For example, if this was a blog all about dogs, its regular readers probably wouldn’t want to read about cats ;).

So what do I really want to focus on? Nutrition. I’m learning so much though my program and I want to share the knowledge as I go. Not only will this give you a lot of really interesting and useful nutritional facts and tips, but i’ll sort of be reinforcing the information in my own brain…which I really hope will come in handy when I write my final exam!

I’ll still mention my kid and dog here and there, because I really can’t help myself, but for the most part, let’s talk NUTRITION!

And let’s start with smoothies.

I’ve been a smoothie lover for a lot of years now. Why? Because depending on what you put into them, they can be really healthy and tasty. You can also sneak things into them that you don’t love, (like spinach in my case), and mask the taste with all kinds of other stuff. AND, totally toddler friendly. Ryland also has spinach almost everyday! He doesn’t know it, and maybe that makes me a little deceitful, but mama’s gotta do what they gotta do ;).

See? I really can’t help myself.

I’ve made a billion different smoothies, many of which were undrinkable, but I’m currently a regular consumer of one that I’ll call a Super Smoothie. I add lots of good-for-you ingredients and one of the biggest benefits is the energy they give me. I usually drink my smoothies first thing is the morning which is EARLY, and no matter how tired I am when my alarm goes off, these wake me right up.

Side note, I don’t usually drink my smoothies from a mason jar, but I wasn’t about to take a picture of it in my ugly to-go cup! I also don’t generally use paper straws…have you tried to drink anything with a paper straw BTW? Drink fast if you don’t want paper bits floating around in your cup!

Anyway, here’s what went into this particular smoothie, along with a little nutritional tidbit about each ingredient:

Super Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen strawberries ~ full of antioxidants which fight potentially harmful free radicals
• 1/2 a frozen banana ~ full of fiber, potassium, & vitamin C, all of which promote heart health
• handful of spinach ~ high in vitamin K which supports bone health
• 1/4 cup organic vanilla yogurt ~ *contains probiotics which promote healthy gut flora necessary for digestive health
• 1/2 tbsp chia seeds ~ high in fibre to keep you feeling full longer while maintaining a healthy digestive system
• 1/2 tbsp hemp hearts ~ excellent source of Omega 3 & 6 essential fatty acids which reduce the inflammatory risks of many diseases
• 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil ~ high in saturated fats which are actually a GOOD thing ~ this helps to increase good cholesterol & reducing bad cholesterol, a vital component to heart health.
• 1 tbsp **plant-based protein powder ~ contains chlorophyll which is alkaline-forming ~ this neutralizes acidity within the body, thus fighting inflammation and stress while also supporting bone health
• 1 cup water ~ flushes out toxins
• 4-5 ice cubes

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients together until smooth
2. Enjoy!

* Not all yogurt contains probiotics so make sure the label/nutritional guide specifically indicates whether or not they have been added in.

** I use this stuff:

I don’t use the scoop that comes with it because that’s just too much for me, but a tbsp at a time is working out pretty well. I can taste it…but it’s a nice tropical-taste. Tropical Tango if you will. As stated on the package, it’s gluten free and there is no sugar added.

There you have it. In essence, there is a lot of fat going into my Super Smoothie, mainly from the coconut oil, chia seeds & hemp hearts, but as I’ve learned over the years, this can be extremely beneficial and nutritious as long as you are consuming the right fats. Back in my teenage years, and even my early twenties, no WAY would I ever put that much fat in my body. But I’ve been doing this for quite a while now and I haven’t turned into a whale :).

One more little bit on the addition of coconut oil into my smoothies ~ I noticed a very substantial increase in energy once I started doing this. I really can’t say enough about this stuff…I went on and on about it here.

That’s it for today. I hope you’ve gotten something out of this very long post :).

 

 

Taco Rice Bowls & School Talk

Hi there, you wonderful people that are taking the time to pop on over here. I’m a few posts in and to be honest, I’m having some major anxiety about boring people to death. I try to ask myself what keeps me coming back to certain blogs and I think the biggest thing is when I feel that I can relate to the blogger on some level. So I guess that’s my goal here. In a nutshell, I’ll just talk about life and hope that others can somehow relate.

So as mentioned in my bio, I’m currently studying to become a Holistic Nutritionist. I’m doing the program through distance education because it just makes the most sense with my already hectic life. I’m very grateful that I have the opportunity to do so, but at the same time, I can’t help but worry that i’m missing out on some of the benefits of being in a classroom. Anyway. A big part of the program includes doing case assessments. This is probably the hardest part because there are no true or false or multiple choice answers. They need to be individually tailored to the client’s needs. And I mean, it’s their health and well-being that we’re talking about here so I have to really know my stuff. So a few weeks ago, I submitted my second case study which I obsessed over and worked really hard on. I felt like I did a pretty good job, but I was still nervous to get my grade back. Well, it came in yesterday and I got 89%! Yay, me! That’s definitely better than expected and it was only assessment 2 of 14 so I should be able to work my way up to an A+, I hope ;).

I finished doing my celebratory happy dance and got busy in the kitchen making dinner. I LOVE Mexican food, and although it comes nowhere even close to a traditional Mexican dish, I made one of my favorites; Taco Rice Bowls.

I make these a lot, but one is never really the exact same as the last. But here’s what went into this particular bowl:

Taco Rice Bowls

• 2 cups cooked brown rice (you can definitely use white rice if you prefer)
• 1/2 a head of iceberg lettuce, chopped
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 large field tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (seeded if you prefer a milder kick)
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp taco seasoning

1. Top rice with veggies according to the order listed above
2. Top veggies with shredded cheddar
3. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, honey, and taco seasoning. Pour over taco bowl and mix well.

I would say this makes 4 servings. It was more than enough for Duncan, Ryland and I. (I took Ryland’s portion out before I added the chopped jalapeno…I have a feeling he’s not quite ready for those ;)).

Although not pictured, I also added about a handful of crushed corn tortilla chips for some crunch. You can also add ground beef or turkey, which I do quite often.

Have a great Wednesday!!